Article on Russia in The New Yorker

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Josh Wilson wrote:

> I think that western coverage of Russia is beautifully summed in how
> it has reported on the Russian weather....
> 
> Last year, Russia had one of the coldest winters in history. The
> Western media reported that the Russians were miserable.
> 
> This year, Russia has had one of its warmest winters in history. The
> Western media has reported that... the Russians are miserable.

LOL!

> Politics aside, I think we can all agree that our media does have
> bias for reporting, for whatever reason, that the Russians are
> miserable.  ...

In psychology, they call it "projection" -- you describe your own 
feelings and attribute them to your subject.

More to the point, I remember being told in college somewhere that the 
difference between the American and Russian temperaments is (allegedly) 
that the American see life as happiness (счастье) with occasional 
moments of misery (горе), whereas the Russian sees life as misery with 
occasional moments of happiness. If you read some Russian literature, 
you can see a grain of truth in it, but like most myths, it misses a lot.

> ... Show these articles to the average Russian (as I do sometimes in
> Russia, which has become my home), and they will ask you where,
> exactly, THAT Russia is.
> 
> Unfortunately, many Americans will also ask where Russia is on the
> map... which is likely how our media gets away with their
> reporting...

Same for 'Iraq and any other country.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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